McPHERSON, Kan. – McPherson High School’s Boys Basketball team used a strong defensive presence to defeat Hays, which entered ranked No. 7 in 5A by the KBCA, 60-44 on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Foul trouble hit both teams early, but it hit harder for Hays (14-4), who had two of their star players benched early with a pair of first-half fouls. Dawson Ruder, Hays’ leading scorer and rebounder, who scored his 1,000th career point last Friday, fouled out early in the fourth quarter to end with a team-high 13 points. The foul trouble put McPherson at the free-throw line a total of 20 times, converting on 17 of those attempts.
McPherson saw foul trouble as well, with Ashton Malm and Cole Cooper sidelined with two fouls apiece in the first half. However, key players off the bench like Dane Becker, Cru Buchman, and Paxton Ingels kept the early run by McPherson rolling. The Bullpups led 16-8 at the end of the first quarter, before taking a 35-19 lead to the locker room, highlighted by a deep three-point shot by Buchman to give him a career-high five points.
The Bullpups kept their feet on the gas pedal, leading from start to finish and by as many as 25 points, closing out with a 16-point win over the Indians, 60-44.
A combined effort from senior Jett Pyle and freshman Eli Reasoner led McPherson once again, as they each contributed with a team-high 18 points and 4 rebounds. Reasoner also led the defense with a block and three steals.
The win for McPherson moves them to 10-8 on the season. The final five games in the regular season are all league games, which will start with a rematch with Buhler on Friday, Feb. 13, for Winter Homecoming. Buhler gave McPherson their only league loss of the season back on Dec. 16. Both teams will enter Friday tied for the top spot in AVCTL-3 play at 4-1.
